CROCK POT BEEF BURGANDY

I came across this recipe and it looked really good. So I started off trying to follow the recipe word for word but that didn’t work well for me. So here is my version of the recipe. By the way it turned out wonderful. The ribs got a lot of flavor from the red wine and gravy mixes and I got to finish off the rest of the wine. That’s always a plus for me. I served them with baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and biscuits for sopping up the delicious gravy. Now normally I don’t brown the meat before putting it into the pot but this time I did. I have been told that by browning the meat it keeps more of the flavor in which it probably does but I kind of get in a hurry and skip that part. I don’t think it makes that much difference. But I thought I should at least give it try. Next time I will probably just drop them in the pot and go. I believe in the quick and easy version and one pot meals. I didn’t think about it the, but I could have laid down a layer of parchment paper on top of the beef and put in my potatoes and corn wrapped in foil. I guess I was just thinking about finishing the wine up. This was too easy and to good not to have it in my dinner rotation. You can also add mushrooms, pearl onions, or baby carrots. I have also heard of substituting beer for the red wine is good too. So give it a try. It takes about 10 minutes of prep time but you can come home from a day of work or shopping with a wonderfully warm and delicious dinner waiting for you. I would suggest saving the extra wine for dinner if you’re going to work.    

 

Ooops! Forgot the ribs!

 

 

  

                                             

 

 

 INGREDIENTS:

2 -3 lbs of boneless beef ribs
5- 6 tbs. of flour
Grill seasoning for steak
1 pkg. of brown gravy mix
1 pkg. of onion soup mix
¾ cup of beef broth ( I use bouillon cubes a lot)
¾ cup of dry red wine
2 tbs. of olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Spray the crock pot with PAM. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Take the flour and mix in some grill seasoning into the flour. Then coat your ribs and brown them in the hot oil. Place them in the bottom of the pot. Next combine the gravy mix, onion soup mix, and the wine in a small bowl. Pour over the meat. Cover and cook on low for 7 -9 hours.

 

CROCK POT VEGETARIAN CHEESE AND BROCCOLI SOUP

This is another one of those OMG! recipes! Years ago I used to make a knock off Gallagher’s Cheese and Broccoli Soup that was so good. So I decided to try it in the crock pot. Now I changed the recipe and used Velveeta cheese instead of Cheese Wiz and it turned out awesome! I made it at work so of course it had to be quick and easy. I chopped and sautéed the onions and peppers the night before and then was able to just throw everything in the pot the next morning to be ready for our luncheon. I had made the ham and 15 bean soup also but the cheese and broccoli soup was the first to go. I doubled the recipe and used 4 cups of milk and it was still very thick, and creamy, and tasted very cheesy. I will making this one again at our next party if not sooner at home for dinner. If you like rich and creamy soups this one is worth trying. You can even add small cubes of potatoes or frozen hash brown cubes for cheese broccoli and potato soup. Happy holidays to everyone!

 

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup of finely chopped onion
½ cup of finely chopped bell pepper
2 tbs. of butter

1 10 oz. can of cream of soup1 ½ cups of whole milk (I used 2 cup  because I thought my soup looked a little thick)

1 lb. of Velveeta cheese

1 10oz. bag of chopped frozen broccoli

DIRECTIONS:

Sauté the onions and peppers in the butter until soft. Then spray the crock pot with PAM. Add the onions, peppers, milk, and soup to the pot. Then cube the Velveeta cheese and chop the broccoli into small pieces and add it to the pot and stir. Cover and cook on low for 3 -4 hours.    

CROCK POT PORK CHOPS AND POTATOES

These pork chops are quick and easy to prepare. I was a little intrigued by the ketchup and cream of mushroom soup. I thought maybe it wouldn’t go together well but I was surprised. The ketchup gave it a little tangy taste. I should have put some Worcestershire sauce in it to give a more barbeque taste. That would have been good too. Now in the past I have had trouble with my potatoes being too mushy but by leaving these in large cubes they cooked to perfection. They were also covered in the sauce which made them rather tasty too.  I put some green beans on the stove to simmer and served it with garlic bread to do some soppin’ of the gravy. Yum!  This recipe can easily be adapted to any kind of soup or sauce you have in your pantry or refrigerator. I love just pairing meats with all different sauces. It just breaks up the monotony of eating the same thing each week for dinner. So be brave and just be creative. Who knows, you may hit upon a few new wonderful recipes. Just be sure to forward them my way to try.

INGREDIENTS:

4- 6 pork chops

1 chopped onion

6-8 Yukon  gold potatoes cut in large cubes

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

½ cup of ketchup

Directions:

Spray the crock pot with PAM. Layer the bottom of the pot with cubed potatoes and chopped onions.Then lay the pork chops on top of the potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste.Next combine the soup and ketchup and pour over the pork chops. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

CROCKPOT POUND CAKE

I don't like failure but, this recipe bombed big time. So big that I didn't even want to post it without trying it again. Yes you read that right. I gave it a second chance. I got up early, made breakfast, and just decided to try it one more time before posting it. Earlier in the week I had wanted something sweet for after dinner and decided to try this pound cake recipe because it had some great reviews.  I had everything in my pantry so I just whipped it up and set it to cook for 4 hours. Well you can see by my pictures that 4 hours was a little too long! It was so burnt I could've’ve used it as a hockey puck. So that’s why I gave it a second chance. This morning I decided just to make a half a recipe and cook it 2 hours. I also went ahead and lined my crock pot with parchment paper just to help keep it from burning. So you can see by my pictures that just a little on the back side got burned. Maybe the cooking time needs to be adjusted a little more.  Over all the cake was edible but we didn't care for it at all. The texture was a little spongy and kind of greasy and I don't think I really cared for the nutmeg flavor either. Maybe you can substitute cinnamon or something else for the flavor? I have adjusted the cooking time in the recipe below in case anyone wants to give it a try. I think you will just have to watch it a little more closely than some of the other desserts. If you try it out I would be interested in knowing how it turned out for you. If I am not sure about a certain recipe I will cut it in half just to try it. Sometimes I know it won't go over big with my family but I at least like to try something different. Who knows it may end up being a favorite! Now I am off to make some soup in my crock pot so I can redeem myself and use up all my leftovers!

1st Attempt 

2nd Attempt 

  

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of butter

¼ tsp.  of salt

1 cup of sugar

1 tsp.  of ground nutmeg

 ½ tsp of cream of tartar

6 eggs

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 ½ tsp.  Vanilla 

 

DIRECTIONS:

Spray crock pot with PAM. Melt the butter in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients in any order. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.  Pour into the crock pot (I used my 2 quart crock pot) and then prop the lid open with a toothpick. Cook on high until a toothpick comes out clean or about 2 ½ - 3 hours. 

TURKEY TETRAZZINI

Turkey soup, turkey enchiladas, turkey salad, turkey sandwiches, and barbeque turkey, I have tried them all. So with plenty of leftover turkey I started scouring the internet for new recipes and came up with this one from diyreviews.net. Like usual I changed it up a little bit and left out the pimentos mainly because they are not a staple in my pantry. The recipe went together really quick. I really like not using too many bowls to get the meal into the pot. At first the 2 cups of broken spaghetti threw me. I had never measured 2 cups worth. Was it all supposed to be in the cup or could it be taller than the cup? I didn’didn't know and didn't bother to research it on the internet. I just used about 2/3 of a 12 oz. pack of spaghetti and made sure I put in all the fluid. The overall results were pretty good. It was very tasty. My spaghetti was cooked in 4 hours but I think I left it on warm for a little too long because it turned out a little dry. I think it would have been a lot creamier had I added another ½ cup of water and ate it immediately after it was done. I saved a little turkey so the next time I make this I will be adding the extra water and maybe even the pimentos. I went and added the the extra 1/2 cup of water in the recipe below. So if you have leftover turkey or even chicken I would certainly give this a try. Let me know if you liked it! 

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of chopped turkey

2 cups of broken uncooked spaghetti

 1 cup of shredded cheese

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 can of mushrooms with the liquid

¼ cup of chopped onion

1 tsp of dried parsley flakes

1- 1 1/2 cups of water

DIRECTIONS:

Spray the crock pot with PAM. Place broken spaghetti in the bottom of the pot. Next combine the soup, water and mushrooms. Then stir in the turkey, cheese, onions, and parsley flakes. Pour over the spaghetti noodles. Cook on low for 4 hours or until the spaghetti is tender.